XCAR: The all-new Mini Cooper S

XCAR: The all-new Mini Cooper S

4:19 /
December 9, 2013

XCAR takes a first look at the all new Mini Cooper S.

At the turn of the century an all-new Mini was unveiled.
It took the classic iconic design of the original and made it more relevant for the roads of this time.
It was faster.
It was safer.
And it was even a lot small, if I'm honest.
But it was for a different audience, an audience that didn't want compromise.
It wanted a classless cars such as the
original Mini was, and also wanted comfort, style and an income rating that didn't terrify the parents.
In 2007, a second generation was launched.
It was a bit bigger.
A bit bubbly and still a pretty cool take on redesign that had taken the world by storm.
And let's be clear here, the BMW Mini is a huge sales success.
They flagged over 2.4 million all over the world.
With the Mark II, the brand expanded.
You could get an Estate
in the form of the Club [unk} with a pair of Crossovers with the Countryman [unk] replacement.
Now, you can even get a van in the form of the Club.
Van.
If you want just push a car kick, you can get a Coupe or a Roadster.
Seven years after the Mark II, the BMW Mark III has now landed.
Once again, it's an update on the classic design that made the Mini such an icon way back when.
As before, these big lights, a grille in the traditional mini shape, a short bonnet and its wheels
are pushed to the very edge of each corner.
No doubt it will handle pretty well when we get it on road.
It's also longer, wider and taller than its predecessor.
Inside, it's still classic mini but with a little bit of a modern twist.
You see, the central harp here, the speedo that was gone from it, you can only have it above the steering wheel.
In my mind, that's honestly quite a good thing because it means, that you're mom or your passengers can't see how fast you're going.
And also, means that this is purely reserve
for infotainment.
This got a few quirky little features, for example you see this ring around the outside?
Well, that's chockfull in early days and it doubles as your parking senses.
So, green for good, amber for steady only, get a bit close and red for the love of God, stop, you're gonna bend the car.
It also, lets you know what driving mode you're in.
So you got sport, eco or normal.
However, it's on to the bonnet where the most significant changes have taken place after the look of [unk], of course.
This is the Cooper S, the fastest mini available for launch.
It has a 2.0-litre turbo-charged force cylinder engine with 190 brake horsepower and 221 pound foot on over boost.
Notice 62 happens in just 6.8 seconds, next top speed is 146 miles an hour.
You're gonna think that it manages all of that, while also achieving 49 miles per gallon, in the UK at least.
Now, the Cooper and
Cooper D models also available for launch, they'll come with four-cylinder engines as they used to, now they come with 1.5-liter turbo-charged three cylinder engines.
The Cooper puts out 134 brake horsepower, manages the 62 run in less than eight seconds, and it drinks a gallon of fuel to every 62 miles.
That's pretty impressive.
The Cooper D emits just 98 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide and manages nearly 81 miles to the gallon.
The Mini is proved
that it's not only a luxurious [unk] but it's also a very green one too.
The new Mini is set to hit showrooms in 2014 and if I'm honest, I think it looks pretty good.
The bonnet which I know was a point of contention for the people in the internet doesn't look any when they were snotty in the flesh as it does in pictures.
And its design still haunts back to the iconic design that fell after Sir Alec Issigonis' pen all those years ago.
However, I'm gonna say something here that applies to pretty much
every Mini product.
This is something I say every time too.
It honestly doesn't matter what I think about it because you're all gonna buy, buy a truckload anyway.